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Employees of Al Jazeera are seen at their Jerusalem office in July. Credit Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Israel likes to describe itself as the only democracy in the Middle East. But with its recent moves to shut down the Qatari-backed broadcaster Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has chosen some strange, decidedly undemocratic bedfellows and sent a worrying message about its commitment to a free press.

Ayoob Kara, Israel’s communications minister, announced on Sunday a draft bill that would allow the government to close Al Jazeera’s Israel bureau, revoke its license to broadcast on local cable and satellite channels, and strip its journalists of accreditation.

Israel’s moves follow recent decisions by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to close Al Jazeera’s bureaus and block access to its website amid a broader diplomatic standoff with Qatar.…  Seguir leyendo »